Flintshire County Council discuss protection for Welsh medical cannabis patients

Last week, a landmark move for Welsh medical cannabis patients was made, when Flintshire Council approved a motion that outlines changes to protect medical cannabis patients from discrimination. 

Proposed by Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor David Coggins Cogan who represents ward Gwernaffield and Gwernymynydd, the motion is in line with the Equality Act 2010, and was drafted with the help of Welsh medical cannabis patient David Case from Halkyn, Flintshire. 

The motion's executive summary reads:

“Flintshire County Council is urged to recognise and support the rights of CBPM patients by designing safe indoor spaces for CBPM use, providing awareness training for council staff and law enforcement, and ensuring Equality Act compliance in council properties.

This includes informing landlords and housing associations about legal CBPM use to prevent discrimination against tenants. By addressing these needs, Flintshire can uphold legal protections and ensure fair treatment for CBPM users in line with the Equality Act.”

After discussing the motion for around 37 Minutes on the 3rd of April 2025, Flintshire County Council passed the motion with only one abstaining vote. 

Introducing Flintshire County Council's CBPM motion 

The Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal Use Motion was discussed at around 11:15am on the 3rd of April 2025, in a hybrid Flintshire County Council meeting. 

It started with Cllr Coggins Cogan, who, in his opening remarks, said:

“This motion is not about creating new rights because these rights already exist in law. It is not about creating separate rooms in buildings. It is about creating a safe indoor space. A safe indoor space is not created by doors and walls, it's created by education, understanding, and tolerance…

What this motion is doing is to educate our staff and our communities and our partner organisations about removing a stigma in lawful medication. 

It is letting those vulnerable patients know that this authority, that is sometimes described as ‘pale, male and stale’, has their backs over something which can be seen as controversial, and it also empowers staff on the ground to identify and properly challenge illegal usage whilst protecting the rights of patients.”

Cllr Coggins Cogan also thanked the Chief Officer Team, who had been working on this motion behind the scenes for months prior to its discussion, as well as Group Leaders in the council who had held constructive conversations and welcomed this motion.

Amendments to the CBPM motion to protect all patients from discrimination 

The CBPM motion was seconded by Cllr Andrew Parkhurst, who, followed up with his remarks:

“This is not about legalising anything, it's about protecting vulnerable patients who have reached the end of their tether and have no other remedy and who have been prescribed legal medication. 

The officers have done a great deal of work looking at the practical implications of this motion and again, like Councillor Cogan, I do want to thank them for their extensive work…. 

It’s essentially about treating patients who need to take this medication who may be in extreme pain or extreme discomfort without it, in a legal and fair way.” 

Next came inputs and discussions from other counsellors in the meeting, including a number of proposed amendment to the motion. These amendments included rewording sections of the motion so they read:

• ‘Continue to ensure reasonable adjustments will be made for any users of prescription medication in accordance with the Equality Act and the council employees and visitors are not discriminated against.’
• ‘Continue to ensure all officers are aware of CBPMs, licensed and prescribed products, and their legal status and continue to provide training to relevant officers on how they differ from illegal cannabis, and how to avoid potential discrimination under the Equality Act.’
• Continue to ensure that ongoing and future equality impact assessments consider all disabilities in the equality act impacts on users of licensed and prescribed medication.’
• ‘Continue to work with North Wales police to ensure that information and training is given to police officers so they are aware of the legal position in relation to the use of licensed and prescribed medication.’ 
• And finally, to ‘continue to work with partners, housing associations, NHS service partners, schools, and other civic partners to ensure they’re aware of the legal position and do not discriminate against the users of prescribed medication.’ 

These amendments were accepted by both Cllr Coggins Cogan and Cllr Parkhurst. 

The Discussion: Protecting medical cannabis patients in Wales

During the discussion, important issues such as impairment were raised, and it was reinforced that CBPMS are not the only kind of medication that can impair users, and in fact, a high volume of prescribed medications carry this risk. 

Insurers of council buildings were also mentioned, and the accommodations that would need to be made following the approval of this motion such as using machinery or equipment were discussed. 

Other counsellors did express concern about the effects of second hand cannabis smoke, and it was clarified that medical cannabis patients are not legally allowed to smoke their medication, and that smoking cannabis, regardless of prescription status, is always a crime. Therefore, only approved administration methods of medical cannabis (e.g. vaping) would be covered by this motion. 

Feedback from North Wales police was also mentioned, with the speaker explaining The Chief Constable passed the motion to a ‘very senior officer’ within North Wales police, who responded: 

‘There is nothing within the motion that causes me great concern, but it has made me think about how we educate our staff about CBPMs. 

I think it would be both fair and accurate to say our exposure to CBPMs has thus far been limited, so general awareness of their legality is likely limited. 

I will start a discussion with our Chief Drugs Liaison Officer to see what guidance material may already be available to law enforcement agencies’. 

All in all, the 67 individuals in attendance showed overwhelming support for the CBPM motion, and it was passed with only one abstaining vote. 

If you’d like to see the full discussion, you can watch the webcast here. 

What this means for the future of medical cannabis in Wales

As the first authority in Wales to do so, Flintshire County Council have recognised their obligation to make reasonable accommodations that ensure there isn't health based discrimination for those living long term medical conditions. 

While the motion does propose a myriad of changes, its acceptance does not mean these changes will be instantly or automatically issued, but, it does ensure these issues will be tackled. 

In his closing statement, Cllr Coggins Cogan remarked: 

“I’m genuinely touched by the outbreak of consensus we’ve had, not just in the chamber today but over the course of dealing with this motion…. 

We’e not here to discuss street cannabis, or anything like that. We’re here to discuss the rights and responsibilities of patients, and how the authority can protect them,  recognise their vulnerability, and make reasonable adjustments.”

To find out more about the conditions medical cannabis can be prescribed for in the UK, or for more information on how to access medical cannabis in Wales, search the Releaf blog or education section.